Improve health care through medical informatics and data science.
100% Online
24 Months*
Leverage data and solve complex clinical and public health issues with The George Washington University’s (GW) online Master of Science in Health Sciences (MSHS) in Biomedical Informatics. You will gain the skills to facilitate innovation in health care through data analytics, artificial intelligence, and biomedical informatics. This program will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to harness the power of analytics to support clinical decision-making, patient safety, quality, research, and patient engagement.
*The total number of credits and duration of the program depend on the number of transferred credits
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Accreditation and Rankings
- GW is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- #62 Best National University*
- #13 Best Online Bachelor's Programs*
- #7 Best Online Programs for Veterans*
* The U.S. News & World Report – 2024 Rankings
Program Highlights
- Complete your degree in approximately 24 months
- The degree includes courses in high-performance computing, machine learning, healthcare AI, medical informatics, health care leadership, epidemiology, and more.
- All courses are taught by leaders in the field and delivered online in a flexible, asynchronous format, so you can earn your graduate degree while keeping up with your personal and professional commitments
Curriculum: Informatics Vs. Data Science
As a full member of the American Medical Informatics Association, the MSHS in Biomedical Informatics curriculum is designed to transform students into health care leaders by exploring medical informatics and data science. The degree includes courses in high-performance computing, medical informatics, health care leadership, epidemiology, and more.
All courses are taught by leaders in the field and delivered online in a flexible, asynchronous format, so you can earn your graduate degree while keeping up with your personal and professional commitments.
Program Outcomes
When you graduate with the MSHS in biomedical informatics, you'll be able to:
- Apply medical informatics and data science principles to improve health care delivery
- Demonstrate programming, data analysis, and data manipulation skills
- Integrate and synthesize data to inform ethical and evidence-based patient-centered care
- Design solutions for problems within medical informatics through the application of computational and systems thinking, information science, and technology
- Conduct and share research effectively with other AMIA members
Who is the Ideal Student for This Program?
To succeed, you should be self-motivated, comfortable with a self-directed study, and passionate about changing the health care system through medical informatics. Previous computer science or programming coursework is recommended but not required.
Career Outlook: Informatics Vs. Data Science Roles
With the growing use of big data in health care, the demand for professionals with advanced skills in analysis, technology, and medical informatics is booming.
Medical and health services managers, including health information managers, are expected to see a 32% percent increase in employment opportunities between 2020 and 2030.1
Situated at the intersection of medical informatics, data science, statistics, and leadership, graduates of GW’s MSHS in biomedical informatics are equipped to pursue in-demand positions with competitive salary opportunities, including:
- Health Services Manager, $104,280 median salary1
- Health Information Consultant, $77,500 median salary2
- Health Informatics Director, $168,510 median salary3
- Clinical Informatics Specialist, $78,457 median salary4
- Informatics Nurse, $79,199 median salary5
- Healthcare IT Project Manager, $100,695 median salary6
- Clinical Laboratory Technologist, $54,180 median salary7
- Epidemiologist, $74,560 median salary8
- Microbiologist, $84,400 median salary9
Admission Requirements
To be accepted to this program, you must have:
- Completed application
- 3.0 GPA or above on a 4.0 scale
- Bachelor’s degree
- Resume/CV
- Personal statement
- Two letters of recommendation
Tuition Details
The MSHS in Biomedical Informatics program at GW consists of 36 credit hours. Please find the cost per credit hour and total Tuition & Financial Aid.
Note: Tuition rates are subject to change and additional fees may vary by program. Please call at (844) 386-7323 for more information.
Faculty
GW’s experienced faculty provide you with the rich, practical knowledge and support needed for you to succeed in the program and in your career.
Sources:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021 September 8). Medical and Health Services Manager. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm.
- Payscale (2020 January 7). Health Information Consultant. Retrieved February 24, 2020, from https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Health_Information_Consultant/Salary.
- Salary.com (2022 January 27). Health Informatics Director Salary. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/health-informatics-director-salary.
- Payscale (2022 January 17). Clinical Informatics Specialist. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Clinical_Informatics_Specialist/Salary.
- Payscale (2022 January 24). Informatics Nurse. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Informatics_Nurse/Salary/.
- Payscale (2022 February 2). Health IT Project Manager. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Health_IT_Project_Manager/Salary/.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021 September 8). Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved February 16, 2022,from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/clinical-laboratory-technologists-and-technicians.htm.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022 January 28). Epidemiologists. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/epidemiologists.htm.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022 January 5). Microbiologists. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/microbiologists.htm.
Curriculum Details
36 TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED
The MSHS in Biomedical Informatics program (100% online) prepares students to be managers and leaders in various scientific laboratory careers. The following requirements must be filled: 30 credits in required courses and 6 credits in elective courses.
Core
- INFR 6101 Principles of Medical Informatics (3)
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Analysis of medical informatics applications and innovations in health care and the health care system; implications for health care delivery and patient outcomes, including electronic medical records, health system databases, and medical data analysis. Restricted to graduate students. Recommended background: graduate enrollment in data science or related field. Credit cannot be earned for this course and INFR 4101.
- INFR 6102 Principles of Medicine for Informaticians (3)
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Survey of clinical medicine and basic concepts related to clinical process, medical vocabulary, anatomy, pathophysiology, and clinical disease management for selected organ systems and health care specialties; evaluation of medical records, clinical decision making, and health providers in the U.S. health care system. Laboratory fee. Restricted to graduate students. Recommended background: graduate students in the data science program or those with prior undergraduate coursework in general biology or anatomy and physiology or pathophysiology. Credit cannot be earned for this course and INFR 4102.
- INFR 6105 Health Care Quality for Informatics (3)
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Health care quality theory, principles, and practice for medical informatics professionals. Restricted to students in the biomedical informatics program.
- INFR 6121 High Performance Computing (3)
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Applied contemporary concepts and practice in high performance computing for scientists; systems, resource management, parallel programming, and nationally shared resources. Proctor fee. Prerequisites: INFR 6101, INFR 6102, and HSCI 6263 (or equivalent statistics course). Recommended background: graduate students in biomedical Informatics programs. Same As: INFR 4121.
- INFR 6197 Biomedical Informatics Practicum (1 - 3)
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Supervised field work in biomedical informatics arranged in consultation with the program director. Students must have completed 9 credits of graduate INFR coursework and have program approval in order to enroll. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: graduate students in biomedical Informatics programs.
- INFR 6540 Medical Decision Making and Decision Support Systems (3)
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Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) used in biomedical informatics to assist health care providers with decision making tasks related to patient care and associated quality improvement efforts. Artificial intelligence in medicine. Restricted to students in the biomedical informatics program. Prerequisite: INFR 6121.
- HSCI 6223 Topics in Health Care Leadership (3)
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Theories and styles of leadership, including organizational management and values, strategic planning, communication strategies, managing change, and negotiating conflict in the context of the health care delivery system. Credit cannot be earned for this course and COHM 6235.
- HSCI 6240 Issues and Trends in Health Systems (3)
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Analysis of key contemporary issues in U.S. health and social policy that affect the design and structure of the health care system. The health policy process and initiatives that shape care delivery.
- HSCI 6263 Biostatistics Translational Research (3)
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Basic concepts and methods of biostatistics applied to translational research. Topics include distributions, populations and sample selection, variables, interaction and confounding, hypothesis formulation, correlation, t-tests, ANOVA, regression, and ch.
- HSCI 6264 Epidemiology Translational Research (3)
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Basic concepts and methods of epidemiology and their application in measuring, studying and improving the health of populations applied to applications for translational research.
Elective
- INFR 6103 Advanced Computing Applications for Biomedical Informatics (3)
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The course examines advanced scripting skills in the context of biomedical informatics. This is an programming course utilizing current language for applied systems. Proctor fee. Prerequisites: HSCI 6263, INFR 6101 and INFR 6102. Recommended background: graduate students in biomedical Informatics programs. Credit cannot be earned for this course and INFR 4122.
- INFR 6197 Biomedical Informatics Practicum (1 - 3)
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Supervised field work in biomedical informatics arranged in consultation with the program director. Students must have completed 9 credits of graduate INFR coursework and have program approval in order to enroll. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: graduate students in biomedical Informatics programs.
- INFR 6198 Biomedical Informatics Capstone (3)
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Capstone project for biomedical informatics arranged in consultation with the program director. Students must have completed 12 credits of graduate INFR coursework and have program approval in order to enroll. May be repeated for credit. Recommended background: graduate students in biomedical Informatics programs.
- CML 6275 Leadership and Change in Clinical Management (3)
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Theories and models of leadership and change from a systems perspective. The development of leadership solutions to problems in clinical organizations; integration of all field course work into implementation plans for health care system changes.
- HSCI 6265 Grantsmanship In Translational Research (3)
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Writing grant proposals to fund clinical research, with an emphasis on translational research proposals. Emphasis is on persuasive communication, conceptually based hypotheses and research methods and the grant application process, including communicating.
- HSCI 6273 Bioinformatics for Genomics (3)
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Bioinformatics tools for different analytical situations; strengths and limitations of the most common bioinformatics strategies. Generalizing acquired knowledge and its underlying principles and techniques to other types of big data applications for the purpose of interpretation of results.
*Students may repeat INFR 6197 as an elective once other degree requirement have been met.
Key Dates
|
Fall 2025 |
Spring 2025 |
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| Application Deadline |
July 20, 2025 (Open) |
December 1, 2024 (Closed) |
Admissions Requirements
To be accepted to the MSHS in Biomedical Informatics program (100% online), you must have:
| Completed Application |
| 3.0 GPA or above on a 4.0 scale |
| Bachelor's degree |
| Resume/CV |
| Personal statement: Please include a 250–500 word essay describing your reasons for undertaking study at the George Washington University and your academic objectives, career goals, and related qualifications including collegiate, professional, and community activities relevant to your program of interest. Include any substantial accomplishments not already mentioned on the application form. |
|
Two letters of recommendation Letters of recommendation should be from:
Recommender will submit a letter on letterhead with a signature and credentials/contact information via the application portal. |
| Application fee: A non-refundable application fee of $80 is required. The application fee is waived for active-duty U.S. military, current GW students, degree-holding GW alumni, current McNair Program Scholars, and graduates of minority-serving institutions (MSI). |
| Official transcripts from every college and university attended. All non-U.S. transcripts (including those in English) must be evaluated by an accredited foreign credential agency. Please find the list of member organizations here: https://www.naces.org/members. |
| Completed coursework: It is recommended but not required that applicants have taken a computer science or computer programming course. |
| Previous work experience: Many of our students have a background in health care, including clinical work experience (physicians, nurses, social workers, etc). Our students also come from computer science, information systems, community and public health, and public policy. |
NOTE: This program is authorized, exempt, or not subject to state regulatory compliance and may enroll students from all 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.
Supporting Documents and Official Transcript
Documents and Official Transcripts not submitted online should be mailed to:
Mail: George Washington University
ATTN: Transcript Processing Center
1415 W 22nd St.
Suite 220
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Alternatively, official electronic transcripts can be sent to: transcripts@hsprograms.gwu.edu